The Treasured Soul
by FallenxAngel321
Summary: The story of a miko who believes she has lost her soul and the youkai lord who doesn't understand why she believes so, because he knows for a fact that she has it. And it is utterly, infuriatingly confusing that his curiosity won't leave it alone- leave her alone. Yes, only his curiosity. What else could it be. Set after Naraku's defeat. Told in 100 words chapters.
1. How It Started

It didn't make sense. There was no mistaking the chiming sound of her soul—a mountain's river melody. And yet…

She claimed she did not have one.

She believed she was soulless.

Why would this ningen who obviously had a soul (and a loud one at that) think she was soulless? The mystery was a pest to my thoughts. A buzzing curiosity, constantly humming in the back of my mind and growing louder. It would not do—this distraction.

And, therefore, this is how the miko, the odd ningen traveler of the bastard Inuyasha, came to be in my presence.

 **(100 words)**

 **Hello! This is my first Inuyasha fanfiction, so please go easy on me! But constructive criticism is welcome!**

 **And, as always, REVIEW! plz 3**

 **Oh! And the first 10 chapters were put out all at once. So enjoy~**


	2. First Day in the Castle

Kagome Higurashi would not say that she was surprised when Sesshomaru dumped her in his castle. She was shocked! But then she got over it. Living in a castle with actual baths beat wandering around a forest any day. As Kagome fiddled with the rich silk of her bedsheets, she let out a grin. She was looking forward to her first day here.

"Higurashi-san," a demoness entered the room after a brief knock, "Sesshomaru-sama asks that you have breakfast with him."

"Great! I'm starving!" Kagome jumped out of bed, but before she could leave the room, the maid stopped her.

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	3. Underclothes and Layers

"Higurashi-san," the maid gave her a disapproving look. "You may not leave the room in your undergarments. And you certainly may not appear before Sesshomaru-sama _in your undergarments_!"

Kagome looked down at what she was wearing. "What? Everything is covered up! I am _not_ in my _underwear_!"

"What you are wearing is only one layer!" cried the maid. She had her hands clasped tightly together in order to maintain some composure. "To appear decent before Sesshomaru-sama, you must put on another ten layers at the _least_!"

"T-Ten layers!" Kagome's eyes widened before glaring at the demoness before her. "I. Refuse."

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	4. Breakfast

The servants fidgeted. Even the usually energetic Rin tried her best to eat her stew quietly, smartly keeping her eyes focused on the bowl in front of her. Jaken didn't even touch his food. He was too busy sneaking nervous glances at Sesshomaru-sama, who sternly stared at the double doors on the opposite side of the large, gray-stone dining room.

Shouts were coming from the other side of those doors. Angry yells, embarrassed squawks, and the occasional pleas. And, of course, the sound of running.

Finally, Rin put her spoon down.

"Wow. Kagome-sama has only been here for 6 hours…"

 **(100 words)**

 **You know, I just realized that it got comical really fast. haha**

 **Review? :x**


	5. Rin

"6 hours." Rin said again, looking over at the doors. "And she was asleep for 5 of them."

The servants started visibly sweating, shooting desperate looks at Rin, but it was clear the girl wasn't quite finished.

"That means she got the castle excited in just one hour. Less than that, actually. Kagome-sama sure is amazing, isn't she, Milord? …Milord?"

"Rin!" Jaken hissed.

"Jaken-sama, aren't your eyes getting tired from going back and forth so fast? Oh! Jaken-sama, you're sweating! Do you have a fever? Or is it just hot in this room? Jaken-sama?"

"Rin."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Quiet."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama."

 **(100 words)**

 **I love Rin. xD**

 **Review?**


	6. Decency is about Perspective

"Kagome-san! This is completely inappropriate!" the demoness maid shouted at Kagome, chasing the ridiculous ningen down yet another hall.

"Inappropriate?! It's entirely understandable! What's inappropriate is the idea of wearing any more than two layers of clothing! Especially in the summer!" Kagome tossed behind her.

"And what do you call running around the castle in your undergarments?" the maid retorted.

"I am completely decent!" Kagome shouted as the other servants and guards in the hall quickly shielded their eyes and clung to the walls with their cheeks splashed red.

From within the dining hall, the shouts continued.

"Kagome-san! Stop this!"

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	7. The Quiet End to Breakfast

"Guess Kagome-sama isn't used to wearing a kimono." Rin idly commented.

She played with her spoon and glanced shyly at Sesshomaru. For a while, the only sounds came from the chaos outside the doors. The servants were never more eager to be dismissed back into the kitchens. At the third shy glance, Rin took a deep breath to gather her courage.

"Milord, may I be excused?"

There was a moment of silence and then, "Why?"

 _'I want to go play with Kagome-sama.'_ Rin thought, but bit her lip before the words left her.

"I am done eating." she said instead.

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	8. Hiding in the Gardens

"Kagome-sama," Rin whispered as she creeped around the outer gardens. "Kagome-sama, I know you're here. I saw you sneak in a while ago."

No answer.

"…I'm alone."

"That's the best news I've heard all day!" Kagome chirped, startling Rin.

Rin whipped around, but could not see her. "Kagome-sama? Where are you?"

"In the tree! Hurry and climb up before anyone spots you!"

Rin looked up at the young oak tree and there, partly hidden in the leaves, was Kagome, still dressed in the white, base layer. The young woman smiled brightly down at Rin and gestured in invitation.

"Hello, Rin-chan!"

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	9. I'm Soulless

The castle had quieted down by now except for a handful of servants who continued to make a lot of noise in their search for Kagome.

"So do you don't know why Sesshomaru-sama brought you here?" Rin asked, swinging her legs happily as she gazed down at the ground below her. The flowers looked like colorful dots from up here.

"No. All I did was mention that I lost my soul and then here I am." Kagome sighed. She rested her head on her knees and pouted.

Rin stopped swinging her legs and turned to look at Kagome. "You're soulless?"

 **(100 words)**

 **Review? :x**


	10. and it cannot be changed

"Yep. No soul. Lost it." Kagome laughed bitterly. "Well. Technically, I gave it away."

"But-! You can't be soulless!" Rin sputtered. "You're not dead!"

Kagome smiled softly at Rin. "Yeah, I'm not. I think I'm supposed to be, but maybe being alive and soulless is just a part of the punishment or something."

Rin examined the older woman before reverting her gaze. The two sat in silence, each occupied with her own thoughts.

"…Maybe Sesshomaru-sama brought you here to help you." Rin whispered.

"Sesshomaru-sama wouldn't help me. Besides, he can't fix this. It's permanent." Kagome sighed. "It's above even Sesshomaru-sama."

 **(100 words)**

 **What could have happened to Kagome? And where is Inuyasha? The questions, oh, the questions...shall be revealed as the story progresses.**

 **So review, review, review! :3**


	11. better avoid hiding on an empty stomach

Kagome's stomach growled for the umpteenth time.

Rin was faced away from the older woman to better conceal her amusement, though it was pointless. Kagome huffed as her stomach growled again and tried to focus on hiding instead of her pitiful tummy. The castle was strangely quiet now.

"Kagome-sama, look." Rin pointed down towards the base of the tree.

First there was nothing. Then, one by one, servants approached the tree and placed baskets of meat and fruits, pointedly not looking up into the tree canopy where the two girls sat.

Kagome slapped her hands onto her face. Rin giggled.

 **Thank you all for your interest in my story! As always, review please! :D**


	12. Hybrid

"We have set the food by the tree, milord."

Sesshomaru looked up from his scrolls with a stone face. "Dismissed."

The maid bowed and backed out of the room. Sesshomaru continued to stare at the door for a while before rising from his seat and looking out the open window. There, in one of the bigger trees in the garden, he could hear Rin giggling.

He stretched his youki towards it and just before he reached the closest tree leaf, he felt the dancing chime of another's.

No, not another youki. Not exactly.

A reiki. Mixed with youki.

But how?

 **Another step towards solving the mystery. Review?**


	13. Sesshomaru's Observations

Eventually, the miko and his Rin gave up hiding and started playing in the gardens.

But was she still a miko? Her movements were almost like that of a youkai child in its first few years of life—clumsy, but instinctual and strong. Did she realize a normal ningen could never jump in that perfect arc? That a ningen wouldn't rely on their nose and ears as much as their eyes? The way her head twitched towards Rin's hiding spots. The swift way she ran after 'tagging' Rin.

Whatever happened to her, the once ningen was no longer fully ningen.

 **Sesshomaru sure is observant.**

 **Review?**


	14. A Silent Decision by the Silent Lord

Kagome fidgeted in her seat on the other side of Sesshomaru's desk. She felt like a kid in the principal's office. All of a sudden, she felt his youki closing in on her and squirmed in discomfort. Then, it retracted and Sesshomaru gave the smallest hint of a nod.

He waved his hand in dismissal and Kagome was escorted out of his study.

"What was that all about?" Kagome wondered out loud.

The servant beside her answered, "You are to start your lessons, Kagome-san."

"What?!" Kagome's head snapped towards him.

"Your lessons on being a proper member of youkai society."

 **What exactly is Sesshomaru doing?**

 **Review and make a girl happy today!**


	15. Beginning of Lessons

"But whyyy do I have to do this?" Kagome whined.

The maid from before hissed below her breath. She had drawn the unlucky stick.

"Again!" she shouted, leaping to attack the annoying ningen.

Kagome yelped as she scrambled out of the way. "This isn't fair! I can't beat a youkai without a weapon!"

"All youkai are able to use their own youki as a weapon." The maid stated before her claws glowed yellow again.

Kagome grunted as the next attack nicked her arm. She panted as she glared at the demoness.

"Oh, good for them. BUT I'M A _NINGEN_!"

"Again!"

 **Poor Kagome. She's in for a rough time.**

 **As this story unfolds, I am hoping to build a clearer image of how upper class youkai are expected to act and what they are expected to know. So far, I imagine aristocracy mixed with a beast's instincts, which is why I think upper class youkai would be expected to know how to fight. Specifically, know how to control their youki.**

 **Review, please!**


	16. Decency is also about Modesty

**_Question:_** **"Why haven't they told [Kagome] about Sesshomaru's discovery about her?"**

 ** _Answer:_** **** **Sesshomaru hasn't told anyone about the things he is noticing in Kagome. I think Sesshomaru's silent, independent nature wouldn't allow him to talk with other people about his thoughts. Much less exchange theories with other people. He seems more like the type to figure things out by himself. And even after figuring it out, he would probably keep the knowledge to himself, using it as an advantage over others. Concerning Kagome, everyone just knows Sesshomaru has his own reasons for bringing Kagome to the castle and getting her ready to be formally introduced into youkai society.**

 **I hope this clarified things. And now on to the story~**

"Kagome-sama!" Rin waved her hand in greeting.

Sesshomaru's head turned towards the approaching woman in what could have been a silent greeting, but Kagome highly doubted it. There was a flickering amusement in his eyes that she didn't like one bit.

"You!" Kagome accused and rudely pointed at the youkai lord. "What's this about joining the youkai society?!"

"Your yukata is slipping." He said.

Kagome's face turned red as she hastily fixed her clothing. "And whose fault is that?" she accused once more, trying to save face.

"This is why one should wear more than one layer." He said instead.

 **I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Please review!**


	17. More Lessons

Kagome growled in embarrassment as the Western Lord walked away.

"Um. Kagome-sama?" Rin tugged on her yukata.

"Yes, Rin?"

"It's time for our history lesson."

Kagome turned around to see the maid from earlier approaching with a young, youkai male. She frowned as the maid introduced him as Manabu, fourth son of a minor lord and one of the Western scholars. She stared at him suspiciously.

"You won't attack me, right? This isn't a lesson that requires dodging claws or anything?" Kagome asked.

"You-" the maid hissed. Manabu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I assure you, Kagome-san. You're safe."


	18. Grasp the Past

"No more!" Kagome cried. "This is worse than history back home!"

Manabu stared in resigned exasperation and confusion as he glanced up from the text once again. "Kagome-san…"

"I think Manabu's lessons are interesting!" Rin piped.

"Suck-up," Kagome grumbled under her breath.

"History is important to know," Manabu recited for the twentieth time that hour. "A firm grasp on the past allows for a greater advantage in the present and future. Knowledge is key to winning a battle."

Kagome glared bitterly. "Oh, no worries. The past is firmly in my hands whether I have a grasp on it or not."


	19. dangers of entering youkai society

"And with that, our history lesson has come to a close…"

"Thank Kami!" Kagome sighed, starting to rise.

"…And now we will proceed to our lessons on present youkai culture and social structures."

Kagome dropped back down with a deeper sigh.

Manabu smiled tightly. "Let's focus on confrontation. It is important to keep in mind that one is not allowed to back down from a challenge if the challenger is calling one's class placement into question."

Kagome fiddled with a brush.

"This means, Kagome-san, you will be challenged the day you are introduced to the courts. Possibly to the death."


	20. Demanding Answers

"Kagome-san! You can't! He is-"

The doors banged open and slammed against the wall. Sesshomaru looked up from his papers with stony, irritated eyes, but as soon as he saw who it was, the irritation left. He leaned back in his seat and waited for her to speak.

For a few moments, Kagome just glared at him in fury.

"What are you planning?" she growled.

He raised an eyebrow as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Don't feign innocence! It doesn't suit you!" she shouted.

"Cease your anger." He commanded.

"No." her eyes narrowed impossibly further.


	21. and getting No Answers

Sesshomaru's glare matched hers.

Kagome faltered. "You—You want me to die! I get finishing me off with your own hands, but this is cruel on a whole new level!" Her voice wavered as fear watered her eyes.

"I am not sending you to your death." He said slowly.

Her glare returned. "Then why are you making me enter the youkai society?" she demanded.

Sesshomaru directed his glare at the servants behind her. They visibly flinched before shutting the doors and giving them more privacy.

"Well?"

"You will be well prepared by the time you are introduced. Do not fear."


	22. Play Along

"Do not fear, he says" Kagome grumbled. She kicked the pillow off the bed. Her dinner was left untouched on a table. She had refused to have dinner with the man who was forcing her to do something that could get her killed. And not tell her the reason why... "Yeah, ok."

A bitter grin escaped her.

She picked the pillow back up and hugged it. Coming to a decision, she made her way towards the table and sat down. Then she closed her eyes and prayed.

"There better be something good for me at the end of all this."

 **Please review~ *shows best puppy eyes***


	23. Manabu's Meddling

**I realize there are many holes and questions in the story so far. But I hope these next few chapters will clear things up a bit more.**

 ** _KEdakumi_ : You're right! That's one of the things I never really got with the silent, independent characters like Sesshomaru. I completely understand the wanting to be a solitary being, because I find myself doing this often. However, I still ask myself why I won't go ask for help with something when I'm not quite sure what to do. Hmm. May I will do something with that in the story...**

 **Hope you enjoy~!**

"Okay, our lessons are done for today," Manabu closed his book with a soft tap.

Kagome had been just as disinterested today as the first day he taught, but in a different way. There was a certain resignation in her shoulders. While she and Rin settled under a large tree in the garden, Manabu searched out the maid assigned to Kagome.

"Gohan-chan!" he called as he spotted the neko-youkai.

The maid had been in the kitchen, gathering snacks to give to the studious girls.

"Manabu-san," she greeted. "Is there something you needed?"

"May I take over your lessons for today?"


	24. A Sudden Attack!

Kagome raised one eyebrow, but she didn't question Manabu's sudden interest in sparring with her.

"Ah, Kagome-san, before we start, I'd like you to know that I won't be holding anything back." Then he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I will not hesitate to kill you during this match."

Kagome flinched away. Her wide eyes met his steady gaze and mocking smile.

The maid signaled the start of the match and Kagome ran out of the dojo. Should she go towards the castle and get some help? No, they were all youkai. She headed for the castle walls.


	25. Manabu, the Takayoukai

**Note: words in** ** _italic_** **are thoughts.**

 **Note: according to Google, "taka" means hawk in Japanese.**

"Eek!" she yelped as she barely dodged an attack. She looked up and saw the walls. _Just a few more steps!_ She picked herself up and started sprinting faster.

"You cannot escape me, Kagome."

A gust of wind and a shadow fell over her and Kagome glanced back, afraid of what she might see.

A demonic hawk loomed over her and screeched triumphantly.

It beat its wings and Kagome shielded herself against the dust.

"I never lose sight of my prey." It crowed.

"M-Manabu-san?" Kagome stuttered.

The taka-youkai launched into the air.

It screeched again.

And it started to dive.


	26. A Click

There was a click. Or there should have been. Like the sound a lock makes when it yields to the key.

A click and Kagome's pupils widened.

Gohan stopped running when she saw Manabu shift to his beast form. _That bastard! Lord Sesshomaru won't be pleased if we kill Kagome!_ She started to rush to Kagome's aid, but stopped again. _What-?_

Manabu opened his beak to snap Kagome in half. Shock rippled through him just as he was about to break her. Kagome lurched out of the way.

Then she threw herself at his wing and broke the fragile bone.


	27. Change of the Tide

He screeched in pain and tried to bat her away with his other wing, but she brushed it aside and launched herself at his neck, grabbing it just as he reverted to his human-like form. He grabbed her arm to pry her off of him.

"Ggekk!" He grunted. Her grip tightened and he started fighting for a breath of air. "Ka-Kagome-san!"

There was a ripple in her eyes. Her pupils kept shrinking and enlarging.

Manabu's neck started to burn. At first, he thought it was from her brutal grip. But the smell of his own burning flesh made it clear.


	28. The Hybrid Aura

"Kagome-san! Stop!" Gohan tried to reach for the young woman, but then fell. Fainting blackness surrounded her vision as she struggled to stand up. _What is this?! A youki? A reiki?_ She started to panic. The weight threatened to crush her.

Then it suddenly vanished.

Gohan looked up to see the Western Lord standing in front of her.

"Kagome." He said roughly. His youki was pushed against the hybrid aura, demanding submission.

Sensing the threat of a more fearsome adversary, Kagome tossed Manabu away and growled at Sesshomaru. The air was heavy around the two and sparks flew between them.


	29. The Calming

Sesshomaru slowly walked towards Kagome like a predator closing in on its prey. Kagome refused to be the prey. She leaped towards the castle walls to escape, but Sesshomaru caught her in midair. She struggled in his arms, trying to burn him with her flickering reiki while simultaneously fighting against his youki with her own.

Her own conflicted aura allowed him to wrap her in his youki, enveloping her completely.

"I am not your enemy." He said.

Besides the harsh undertone, his words soothed her and Kagome blinked rapidly as she came back to her normal senses.

"What. Was. _That?"_


	30. Kagome's Realization

Kagome pushed him away from her. She glared at him before turning her gaze inwards.

"I thought…that…How? I shouldn't be able to purify!" she whispered.

"As I thought," Sesshomaru said. "You haven't lost your soul."

"But I-! I must have! It was the only way it would have worked!" she looked at the daiyoukai and spoke in a smaller voice, "wasn't it?"

He stared at her critically before replying. "You have yet to reveal your circumstances to this Sesshomaru."

"…right."

Sesshomaru looked over at Gohan. "Attend to Manabu and take him to a healer. We will be staying out here."


	31. What went wrong?

Kagome sat down on the grass hard.

"Will you now tell this Sesshomaru why you had believed you had lost your soul?"

"I suppose." She said slowly. "I mean, a second person's opinions might help me understand it better."

Sesshomaru said nothing.

"...What have I gotten myself into?" Kagome ruffled her hair in frustration. "Of course. Just when I decided…"

She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts.

"Start from the beginning." Sesshomaru commanded.

"The beginning. Right. Okay."

He noticed that her aura turned depressingly sad and bitter.

Then, he knew. The bastard Inuyasha had something to do with this.


	32. Surprise! I'm from the Future

"You were there at the final battle with Naraku, so you know about the Shikon Jewel, right? Yeah, so I finally made my wish on the thing. It took me a while to figure it out…and then even longer to actually do it.

Ugh. I wasn't thinking straight. I really should have went home before making the wish. That was incredibly stupid of me. Hm? Oh, right. You don't know. I'm actually from the future. Eheh. Surprise! Sorry I didn't tell you before, but we weren't really close then.

Not that we're any closer now…

Um. Yeah, so… I'm stuck."


	33. Stupid Shikon Jewel

"I can't go home without the Shikon Jewel. And it disappeared when I made the wish, so I'm stuck in this time.

The wish? Let's just say it's the reason why my soul _was supposed to be_ gone. And, yeah, it may also be the reason why I was wandering around the forest when you found me."

Kagome went silent, but she continued the conversation in her head.

 _Stupid Shikon Jewel didn't even grant my wish correctly. Agh! And I just went along with everything! If only I had known I still had a soul- a reason to live! Tch._

 **I hope some things have been made clear now. If not, please ask away.**

 **Review, review, review!**


	34. The Continuation of Lessons

Even after she had dumped all that information on the "Great Lord of the West", it seemed that he was still set on continuing with the plan to dump her into youkai society. Thus, her lessons continued. Even when she tried her best to get away from it all. And before you think that maybe she wasn't trying hard enough, you try running/hiding from a castle full of demons with advanced senses.

Manabu always knew where she was and would pop _out of nowhere_ and start drilling her on youkai culture and history. And Gohan- the stupid cat- helped him!

 **Sorry it took me so long to update! I got writer's block. Of sorts. There were just so many different ways I wanted to take the story. And I finally decided on a few, so still not entirely sure how the story will end. So, basically, there are different story paths that are fighting to win a place in the actual story in my mind.**

 **If something doesn't make sense, please let me know!**


	35. Complaining to the Source

"Why are you so insistent on torturing me?!" Kagome cried. She was back in Sesshomaru's study room, venting out her frustrations. "Is this because of the whole sword thing with your dad and Inuyasha? Come on! That was an accident! Or- or the whole being enemies thing from before? Because I thought we were over that."

Sesshomaru just stared unimpressed.

"Answer me, dammit!" she finally spat.

It did not go unnoticed by Sesshomaru that the more irritated the once miko became, the stronger her aura flared. And that was just what he wanted.

He hid a smirk as she left.


	36. Sesshomaru's Stress

There was only a week left before the day of her Introduction ceremony and she was still not ready. Sesshomaru frowned. He could still smell the stench of her human spirit. With her human side in control, she would not do well during the ceremony. And he would be made into a fool.

That was unacceptable.

"Pay attention." He growled lowly.

Kagome struggled to get up from the particularly bruising attack. The two were in the middle of sparring. If you could even call it that. It was more of a beating.

 _What's his problem?_ Kagome bitterly thought, staring incredulously.


	37. One of those Arguments

"Seriously? You come barging in, interrupting my training time with Gohan, and toss me around like a rag doll and you expect me to be _okay_ with that?!" Kagome spat blood to the side and wiped her lips. "I think it's pretty obvious how large the gap between our strength is, thank you very much."

"Then try closing the gap." Sesshomaru sneered. His eyes were bleeding red.

"What the heck is your problem?!"

"The Introduction ceremony is less than a week away and you're still not ready! I will not let you shame me or the West!"

"Not my problem!"


	38. And the Winner of the Arguement is!

"No. You don't get to growl at me like that! I never wanted to do this. _You're_ the one who decided to do this, so it's all on you!" Kagome was tempted to cross her arms and stomp like a two-year old, but Sesshomaru looked seriously pissed off. She didn't want to leave herself more vulnerable than she was.

"You weren't so unwilling before." Sesshomaru pointed out.

"W-Well. That…that was before I realized that I still had my soul!" Kagome stammered.

"And who helped you realized that?"

"I'm not going to answer that."

Sesshomaru glared. "You owe me."

"I…. no!"


	39. Wilting Flower

After that, all of her lessons were given by Sesshomaru himself. Before, she could at least delay the lessons by hiding, but there was no way of tricking the Lord of the West. Kagome was quite miserable. It was as if he was trying to stamp out her heart and replace it with all the coldness of his own youkai instincts.

And by the time the ceremony came around, Kagome was feeling like a wilting flower.

Standing beside her, watching her from the corners of his eyes, Sesshomaru felt a small twinge of guilt. But he refused to feel regret.


	40. Eager to Kill

As soon as the doors opened—before even the announcement of their arrival could be finished—Kagome was challenged.

 _It seems this was met with even more distaste than I had anticipated._ Sesshomaru thought. He glanced at the once miko again. _She seems paler than before._

He bent down until his nose was buried in her hair and his lips almost on the tips of her ear.

"Remember. These challenges are to the death. Kill him or else lose the soul you thought you had already lost." His eyes closed as her scent filled him. For a moment, he hesitated.


	41. Thanks for Nothing, Sesshomaru

Kagome flinched at his words. The cold ruthlessness on his tongue filled her with bitterness. She stepped forward to meet her challenger as the room cleared to make a circle around them. She was a toad youkai. Clearly. The paint she had smudged on her ugly face did nothing to hide her warts. Kagome looked again at Sesshomaru who had moved to sit on his stupid throne. He looked the same as ever—cold.

 _Bastard._ She thought as she refocused on the toad woman. Gripping the edges of her kimono, Kagome wished he had at least provided her some armor.


	42. Toads are Ugly

Kagome quickly learned that toads liked to chat when they fought.

"Pitiful ningen." the demoness cooed. Or tried to. Kagome swore it sounded more like the disgusting bubbling of rotten stew. "But I must say…Lord Sesshomaru sure has a flair for providing such wonderful _entertainment_."

Kagome grimaced as the toad hurled some more swamp muck at her.

"UGH!" She tried to save her nose from the smell. "That's disgusting! Do all toads live in such filth?!"

The toad's face grew bright red. "I won't let a _ningen_ insult me!"

Kagome looked up in shock as the toad flew towards her.


	43. Transformation

A gasp escaped as she felt the toad's slimy hand dig through her stomach. After reading about these things in novels, she expected to feel cold. Or maybe have a chill run down her spine? Something to tell her 'Death is here!' But no. It felt more like a fever.

Maybe Death had a warm hand, because there was no way she was going to survive from this.

It hardly registered that the toad's stupid face had morphed to something even uglier. That the blood she saw on the floor belonged to her. That maybe that growl was also hers.


	44. Massacre

"THE DOORS!"

"THEY'RE LOCKED!"

He swung his sword in a frantic arc, but missed and took the arm off another. An axe swung out and took him. The high pitched, youkai screams rung around, bouncing off walls and screaming back at them. Nauseating crunches cracking behind until they came close enough. Shoving bodies—hands, legs, and feet slapping at your vision. Desperately shoving back to get away. Bruised and battered. And everything just keeps hitting you back towards the crunching sounds.

The soldiers in the hall tried not to flinch.

"The doors are not to be opened until my command."


	45. Raccoon in the Corner

The rain had started sometime during the night and it had not stopped yet.

Behind the doors, he could only hear heavy snoring. Occasionally, there was a snort.

Sesshomaru gave a sharp look and the doors were opened. The smell hit him first, but for the others, it was the sight of last night's massacre. And tucked into one of the corners of the room was a youkai in its beast form.

"Is that…Kagome-san?" someone asked. A crowd had gathered behind the Western Lord, all curious to see.

Sesshomaru frowned.

"But that's a raccoon!"

"And a full-fledged youkai, no less!"


	46. Still a little pure

_A raccoon. Of all the forms to choose from, she chose_ a raccoon. Sesshomaru thought disappointedly. He strode over to the mound of fur and assessed her. Her new body was small for a youkai beast, but that could be due to her mixed aura. While the youki had cleanly taken control, her reiki was still tangible. _The bloodshed was not enough to darken her soul to its full youkai state. Her purity must be greater than I had calculated._

"Wake up." He commanded loud enough for the whole room to hear, but then added almost silently, too softly. "Kagome."


	47. Waking Up and Facing Facts

She stirred awake and blinked her large, ocean eyes at him. Even in this state, she was like an open book—

Recognition at the sight of him.

Shock at the sight of the dead bodies, her kills, which led to a warring crash of guilt, satisfaction, and horror.

He let a small smirk show on his face. It was now obvious that Kagome's youki was awake and influencing her. This was the goal he had wanted to achieve. And like with everything else, Sesshomaru had succeeded. His beast purred in the triumph.

But there was still a twinge of hesitation.


	48. Raccoon Kagome

"Go away." Sesshomaru growled.

Kagome chittered annoyingly and shuffled closer to him. When he merely returned to his paperwork, she stretched out across his lap. Her raccoon form wasn't that big to begin with. Perhaps a little bigger than a large dog. A hardly intimidating size for youkai beasts. But as an annoying pest on your lap?

"You are blocking my sight."

She didn't say anything, but he could practically feel her self-satisfied grin.

"How much longer will you continue with this behavior?"

No answer.

"It has been _days_."

Another grin.

"Kagome."

She waved her ringed tail across his face.


	49. Kagome's Revenge Plan

Sesshomaru was convinced that the hesitations from before were all because he knew somewhere deep inside that Kagome would become a bigger pest as a youkai than she was as a ningen. By more or less embracing her youki and her beast, Kagome's will had become freer. She was less hesitant about succumbing to her more basic instincts and about fulfilling certain wishes.

And it just so happened that one of her wishes was to get revenge on Sesshomaru. By annoying him to death.

Even more irritatingly, his beast thought it was _cute_ and let her get away with it.


	50. Not Just a Raccoon

Kagome's raccoon form lasted five days and only after she had basically tortured every toad youkai in the castle, including Jaken who was targeted multiple times. Then she became a bird and tried to fly away. After multiple attempts, fails, and tantrums, she changed again. This time into a fox for the sole purpose of pranking.

"I do not believe you are unable to control your shifts." Sesshomaru finally said, glaring at Kagome through wet hair. Her latest prank was dropping water on the great Lord of the West.

Kagome shrugged as if to say 'Take it as you will.'


	51. Flowers on a Fox

Playing in the gardens with Rin was the best thing in the world. Well. It was a close second to annoying the heck out of Sesshomaru.

With a happy nod, Kagome stood up and shook to dispel the sleepy laziness off her body.

"Kagome-sama!" Rin whined. "I was almost done arranging all the flowers."

She looked over her back at Rin who was tying dandelions into her tail. Letting out a barking laugh, she held wagged her tail, making the yellow flowers fly up into the air. Rin giggled at the display and reached up to catch the wayward flowers.


	52. Hunting Sesshomaru

Kagome inched towards the edge of the bookshelf—her target locked in sight, tail waving slightly in anticipation. The target shifted and she froze. Did he know? But then he relaxed back into his cushion. Her back arched as she tensed to spring.…..Now!

Sesshomaru huffed as Kagome collided against his back. Frowning, he looked over his back at her sprawled form. She had her belly exposed and her legs in the air. Catching his eye, she gave a stupidly cute smile and wagged her infuriatingly fluffy tail.

"Come here."

She approached sheepishly and let him dump her in his lap.


	53. Grooming the Mischievous Fox

Being in the great _Lord_ Sesshomaru's lap was pretty weird. Part of her hated the way he treated her like some mischievous puppy. And she refused to think about the other part of her.

Sesshomaru picked a dandelion off her fur and held it up with a slightly arched brow.

"You should stop letting Rin put flowers in your fur." He said as he combed through her orange pelt, brushing out the flowers.

Kagome gave him a sharp look. 'You let Rin put flowers in _your_ hair.' She accused.

He ignored her and continued running his fingers through her fur.


	54. Sesshomaru continues his plan

Her warmth was welcoming and her scent calming. During these moments, he found Kagome at her most tolerable state—when she was done annoying him for the day and settled down for a nap in his study, pressed against his legs.

He paused in his writing and let his hand glide through her fur. Her ears twitched.

Her reiki was still there. Still _very much_ there. Remaining in her beast forms had not reduced it. He realized that if he wanted her to turn completely youkai, he must get her to shed more blood.

More kills for a blacker soul.


	55. Everyone is a Little Lost

**Hello! Thank you all for continuing to read my story! And the reviews! It's really encouraging to get reviews. So there are going to be some changes from now on:**

 **(1) I will no longer be writing in 100 word bits. It got kind of troublesome to try and confine myself to just 100 words per chapter. So now, each chapter will more or less be however many words it takes for me to write out the next part of the story. I'm hoping this will help me to actually finish the story.**

 **(2) We are now head-firstly diving into the main question of Kagome's youki-reiki state. I know, it took a bit to get to this point, but it will still take a bit longer to get the answer. I find that, in a lot of the stories I write, I like to delay giving the big answer as much as possible. It's much more exciting that way, in my opinion. I hope it is interesting for you, too!**

 **Now to answer my lovely reviews:**

 **KEdakumi: Thank you so much for your review! You really helped me figure out how the readers were responding to the story so far and, therefore, how I should word the next few chapters so as to direct the readers to realize some things about the way I am trying to portray Sesshomaru. Again, thank you!**

 **Ldysabella: You review has also helped me understand the readers' responses so far, so thank you! And yes, I believe Shippo would be proud. Have you read "A Trick of Fate"? I read that fanfic a few days ago and really liked it. If you like youkai!Kagome and/or the mother-son relation between Kagome and Shippo, I strongly recommend giving it a chance. On another note, chapter 44 (?) was meant to be confusing. I was trying to convey the idea of blind panic, which includes being confused. That being said, I meant every word I wrote for that chapter.**

 **Ok! Now on with the story!**

* * *

Kagome was squeezed in between two statues, making herself small and invisible in the dark niche.

Rin ran by her hiding spot.

"Kagome-samaaa~!" she sang. "I know all the castle's best hiding spots! I'll find you eventually!"

Her lips stretched wide in a fox-smile as Rin's footsteps faded down the next hall. She moved to change her hiding spot when Jaken, crowded by a bunch of servants, came rumbling down the hall.

"Are you sure, Master Jaken? It's been three moons…"

"Our Lord MUST be sick to have stayed so long!"

"Not even as a pup has he-"

"QUIET!" Jaken shouted in that annoying squeaky way of his, stopping right in front of Kagome and halting the entire procession. "It is Lord Sesshomaru's business whether he stays in the castle or not! Is anyone complaining of his presence here?" He narrowed his bulging eyes and glared at the crowd around him. The servants all closed their mouths with a sounding click. "Good. Now go back to your duties and leave Lord Sesshomaru's welfare to me."

But the moment he started padding away, they went back to shouting their concerns about the Lord's stationary state. Kagome crawled out of her hiding spot once the hall became quiet again.

 _Is it really so odd for Sesshomaru to remain in the castle?_ Kagome thought. _It's HIS castle after all._ But then she remembered all the times she and…Inuyasha ran into Sesshomaru.

She shook so that her agitated fur settled back down to its placid state, but it remained fluffed up. The walls seemed even more restricting than they were before and an unsettled feeling settled underneath her skin. It was one of those annoying, itchy sensation that made you want to go out and do something. That was when Kagome realized that it has been a long time since she herself had left the castle walls. It has been weeks since the last time she had even tried to leave them. The feeling of being unsettled tripled.

There was a life beyond the castle walls. There was something she needed to get back to. She had never intended to be gone for so long. And she had left with little to no warning, too…

She looked down at her paws. Paws. Not hands.

A heart raced and she wanted to cry, but her mouth would not move the way she wanted it to. The two statues of youkai looked down at her mercilessly. All the youki around the castle, the ones that remained in the background of her senses before, were closing in on her now, but even as she closed her eyes and tried to shut them out, the youki were there—inside of her.

And so she ran to the only non-youki source in the entire castle.

* * *

Sesshomaru sensed the spiked anxiety from his study. He tried to ignore it, attributing it to the normal, daily fluctuations of emotion within the castle. However, his beast stirred and became restless.

He left his scrolls in favor of stalking the halls, letting instinct guide him. The loudest source of emotional unrest turned out to be a group of servants harassing Jaken. It seemed his continued presence in the castle concerned his servants. It was true that he usually took to patrolling the West, but there were things to be done at the castle. The hunt for Naraku amongst other things had allowed work to pile up. It certainly wasn't for any other reason than work that he stayed in the castle. He was about to go and settle the matter when he caught the faint smell of salt.

Immediately, he turned from the loud bunch and followed the trail of tears. The tears led him to one of the many storage houses at the back of the castle. The sun had just finished climbing to its highest seat in the sky, burning white. Sesshomaru could sense two beings from within. The scent of a young human could only be Rin and the other…

"Kagome-sama," Rin's whispered voice rang clear through the gap between the two doors of the storage house.

He opened the doors. They were tucked amongst fallen boxes and scattered silk. The light streaked past him and settled right before it could touch the bare leg of her returned human body. She was hugging Rin tightly to her as the little girl stared marvelously at the black hair in her hands.

"Kagome-sama, you're human again!" Rin whispered.

The older woman let out a small sigh, shaking with relief.

Subtly, Sesshomaru sensed the air. Her youki was still stronger than her reiki, but it was no longer as dominating as before. Drawing his own youki in as to not agitate her unstable one, he approached them slowly. Kagome's body shivered as her youki stirred in response to the closeness of his. Pausing briefly, he completely masked his youki before continuing his approach.

"Milord!" Rin greeted him with her usual cheer, but her eyes looked up at him with wishfulness.

"Go find Jaken." He told her.

Rin hesitated briefly, glancing at Kagome. "Yes, milord."

When Rin left her arms, Kagome curled in on herself. She was still wearing the kimonos that she had worn to the Introduction Ceremony. They completely engulfed her the way she was curled up. For a long moment, he watched as her youki and reiki shoved each other back and forth. It would appear that her reiki was stronger than he thought to have retained enough strength to return her to human form, but it was clearly not enough. He could see the slow relapse back to a youkai body. The duality of youki and reiki was not as one-sided as he had previously assumed. Her brief return to human form was evidence of that. The reiki was there to stay. He could not simply push it out by feeding her youki's blood thirst.

More questions and still no real answers. He would need to seek the wisdom of someone else.

"Come."

Kagome peeked up at him. Her eyes slightly red and puffy from all the crying she had done. He stared steadily into those eyes. She shivered as a large, brown tail popped up behind her and curled at the end.

"Where are we going?" she asked. She sniveled and wiped her cheeks of dried tears.

He did not answer, but resolutely stared at her new squirrely tail. A frown threatened to show itself on his face.

"Will we be going out?" Kagome changed her question as she followed his gaze to her new tail. She gripped it and brought it to the front to look at it better with a frown.

"Hm."

She took that as a yes and got to her feet a little unsteadily.

* * *

 **We are now preparing for a scene change! Yay finally! I bet the servants will be relieved. XD**

 **Please review~! Your reviews could help the writer (me) figure out how the next chapter should go!**


	56. Putting the puzzle together

**Hello everyone! I am so sorry about the long wait. But! This chapter is really long! Just for you! This is actually the longest chapter I ever wrote. In. My. Life. (personal accomplishment! Woohoo!) I also had to stop and rethink about the way the story was unfolding, so that's partly why it took me so long. That and all the craziness of college. I'm actually on my last stretch of exams right now before winter break. #procrastination**

 **To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much and keep it up! You guys give me the strength to continue posting. Much thanks! And I apologize for any and all spelling or grammar mistakes. This is beta'd. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **...but before we jump right into the new chapter, here is what we had previously:**

 _More questions and still no real answers. He would need to seek the wisdom of someone else._

 _"Come."_

 _Kagome peeked up at him. Her eyes slightly red and puffy from all the crying she had done. He stared steadily into those eyes. She shivered as a large, brown tail popped up behind her and curled at the end._

 _"Where are we going?" she asked. She sniveled and wiped her cheeks of dried tears._

 _He did not answer, but resolutely stared at her new squirrely tail. A frown threatened to show itself on his face._

 _"Will we be going out?" Kagome changed her question as she followed his gaze to her new tail. She gripped it and brought it to the front to look at it better with a frown._

 _"Hm."_

 _She took that as a yes and got to her feet a little unsteadily._

 **And now on to the next chapter:**

"So where are we going?" Kagome asked again as they passed the castle gates.

Sesshomaru spared a glance behind him. The beginnings of a grimace was etched on her face along with watchful eyes—her muscles stiff and coiled. This distrust of him was…annoying, but not unfounded.

"To figure out why you hold both youki and reiki." He answered. Perhaps answering a few of her questions would put her mind at more ease.

Her tail twitched to attention. "What? I have youki inside me?!"

Sesshomaru frowned, stopped, and turned to look at her. "You didn't notice?"

 _Was this ningen so blind to not notice what had been going on with her own body? Surely, the change between her forms were noted._ His eyes narrowed.

"Of course, I noticed!" She snapped, offended. "Stop looking at me like I'm stupid! I'm just surprised is all."

He turned back around and continued to walk.

"Youki…that actually explains a lot." She looked back at her tail. "Right. I can't believe I didn't figure it out myself."

After a long silence, his curiosity got the better of him. "How else could you have turned into a youkai?"

"I-, "Kagome started to say, but the words left her.

Sesshomaru continued walking, waiting to hear her answer. Instead, he got another question.

"What's it like to have youki?" she blurted. At his continued silence, she continued. "Is your beast and you two different beings? Because…I…I think there's a voice in my head that keeps making me forget. Or convinces me that all this is normal. Or…I don't know. I just…"

Kagome shook her head. Tears of confusion started welling up inside her. Why couldn't she remember thinking that being a demon was weird? That it wasn't what she was supposed to be? Unless she never actually did.

 _Did it feel…natural to me? But why?_ Kagome thought, chewing her lips to worry.

She walked straight into Sesshomaru's back.

"Cease your worries. We both will have answers soon enough." He didn't look back at all. He merely started walking again, leaving Kagome to rubbing her nose and staring at him in surprise.

The rest of the day went by fairly quietly. Sesshomaru's mere scent kept all demons from approaching too closely. He didn't use his youki to keep them away in case it triggered something in Kagome's fluctuating aura. His mind wandered to Rin and wondered if Jaken knew better than to allow any harm to come onto her. He had no real reason to worry, however. The castle was well protected and his servants wouldn't dare betray him. Jaken would certainly make sure of that. Though the imp was useless in many things, he was quite observant when it came to matters dealing with other creatures.

They were outside the far boundaries of his castle now.

"Hey look! My tail disappeared!"

Sesshomaru looked from the corners of his eye to see Kagome waving her hand through the empty air behind her. Curious, he tasted the aura around her. Indeed, her youki seemed to have quieted down again. Now it was equal to her reiki.

"Hm." He replied, a little distracted by this new tidbit of information.

She seemed to cheer up a bit more now that her youki and reiki were quiet. The human wouldn't stop _smiling._ He didn't even need to look at her to know that she was beaming. And she continued to beam well past sunset.

Once night finally took over the sky, Sesshomaru settled down beneath a tree.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, standing in front of him. She kept a respectful distance away.

"You require rest." He stated, thinking it was obvious.

"No, I'm fine. I don't feel tired at all. Let's keep on walking."

Sesshomaru let his gaze roam over her. She kept shifting her weight from left to right and her fingers were reaching towards something or trying to feel something that wasn't there, but her eyes were slightly glazed with sleep. She was unnaturally tense.

"Try to rest." He finally said.

Kagome frowned, but complied. She went towards a tree opposite of Sesshomaru and stared at the cold, dirt ground. Thinking for a moment, she decided Sesshomaru wouldn't mind her ruining the rich kimono. She shed her clothes until she was left with a reasonable three layers, then she used the other layers as a makeshift bed. Crawling into the pile of kimono, she settled down facing Sesshomaru. His eyes were already closed. Kagome stared at the curves of his face until sleep took over.

Night time was when the more malicious youkai liked to roam and it seemed that Kagome's odd aura was attractive to them, so Sesshomaru took to walking around the borders of their "campsite." He made sure to direct his youki outwards, so that Kagome's sleeping area remained neutral. However, some of the demons were stupidly bold enough to confront the taiyoukai. When dawn came and Sesshomaru returned to Kagome, he found her already awake. Anxiety lined her face and sharp claws had shredded her makeshift bed into mere threads. When she opened her mouth to speak, he caught sight of glinting fangs.

"H-How was your night?" Kagome asked.

Sesshomaru watched a shiver run through her form. No doubt her youki had sensed the bloodshed.

"Come." He said and she quickly got up. She didn't want to remain in that area any longer.

That was the first and last night they stopped for rest. For the rest of the week, the two travelled through the day and through the night. Meals were consumed as they walked or during a short break. Sesshomaru did not eat often, but would not fail to hunt stray animals for her every couple of hours. Baths were when they swam across rivers. Kagome was exhausted. Her soul was strong enough to keep up with this method of travel, but her body was still human. Her shoulders slumped, her feet dragged, her eyes carries bags, and her skin was pale. The forest seemed to stretch on forever with no hint of a nearby village. But perhaps that was because Sesshomaru was avoiding them.

Kagome shivered and drew her thoughts back to watching her feet shuffle step by step over dirt and grass. She didn't like thinking beyond the bubble of their present space, because at the edge of her senses, she knew the violence that awaited her. It was like being back shard hunting with Inuyasha again—when the demons lurked around her, trying to get to the shikon jewel shards. Shivers wrecked though her spine.

"We are close."

Sesshomaru's words jolted her awake and she looked around. They were still in a forest. The scenery had not changed. But just as she opened her mouth to ask, she felt the difference. The trees were still the same, but the very air had calmed to an almost uncomfortable peace.

"Where are we?" she asked her eyes growing wide.

Sesshomaru glanced behind him at Kagome. Her heart rate had picked up and her aura was humming to an almost audible buzz. He could feel her youki jumping. Did it know?

The two stopped in front of a particularly old-looking tree.

"Bokuseno." Sesshomaru greeted. "I have come looking for answers."

A face appeared in the tree's trunk and Kagome startled with a yelp.

"You should not have brought her here, Sesshomaru-sama. My youki is not one to contain or be contained." Bokuseno spoke, his voice ringing around the clearing, pouring from every leaf and branch.

Sesshomaru glanced back at Kagome again. "She is not a youkai." He pointed out.

"Her youki is still tasting." The tree answered.

Kagome blinked owl-eyed at the face in the tree. "A-Are you a youkai?"

"Yes, lost one. I am a youkai." He answered.

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru. "Do you know what's happening to me? Is this why Sesshomaru-sama brought me here?"

Both the taiyoukai and ningen turned to look expectantly at the tree youkai.

"You should not have brought her here," Bokuseno said again.

"Well it's not like I could stay in his castle!" Kagome spat, frustration reddening her face. "I was going to go insane if I stayed there any longer!"

Suddenly, the ground shook as Bokuseno's roots shook. Kagome's youki reacted in return, speckling her face with little white dots and growing fawn ears in place of human ones.

"Bokuseno." Sesshomaru growled lowly in warning, casting Kagome several looks.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I suggest you return to the castle. I fear a rebellion may be brewing in your absence." The tree youkai's voice was grave and Sesshomaru did not doubt him.

An uprising in his own castle? It appeared he was too lax in his control. He shall remedy this immediately. But this did not explain what led Bokuseno to believe this or how it connected with Kagome. Sesshomaru glanced at the trembling girl. He need to return to his castle, but he couldn't take her back. Her youki did not settle well in his castle.

Bokuseno seemed to recognize his dilemma.

"I shall watch her here until you return." He offered the taiyoukai. Then, with continued hesitation from the dog demon, "I shall tell you all I know about her condition once you return."

Sesshomaru dipped his head in acceptance and turned into his youki ball, speeding back towards the castle.

Once he was gone for sure, Bokuseno turned back to Kagome, who was still staring at him with startled eyes and trembling form.

"Let it take over you, lost one. The days will pass by more easily with you in that state." Bokuseno coaxed, thickening his forest with his youki more than usual.

The action had its desired effect and Kagome's form shifted to that of a young, grey doe with glowing blue eyes and white spots on her back. She blinked once before prancing off into the woods. Bokuseno did not worry for he knew she would remain under his presence.

* * *

As it turned out, an uprising _had_ been forming within the castle. Nothing too big. One of the generals was getting antsy with the lack of battles and had been poisoning others into thinking it would be a good idea to attack him. A swift and public execution stopped the whole thing. Well, not exactly. Sesshomaru surveyed the crowd as servants rushed about cleaning the blood and the body, as scholars looked on with detached interest, and as the other warriors watched his movements stoically. He could sense it in every single one of them—the craving for more bloodshed, more violence. More death. Such was the nature of a youkai. And as a youkai lord, Sesshomaru was to satisfy their needs. But bloodshed was always tricky business. He couldn't just let them run rampant. He couldn't just decide to declare war on one of the other lands. Though youkai were beasts at heart, there were still political boundaries. The other way to satisfy a craving for violence was to set them upon ningens.

Hesitation.

Sesshomaru frowned as his mind faltered at the thought of dead ningens. This new chain of hesitations was unbecoming for a taiyoukai as himself.

More so for his own nature. For centuries, he had prided in himself for being a constantly steady sword, cutting cleanly through the obstacles in his path. Even with Rin, he had made and executed his decisions precisely. A sharp blade set on a straight path.

That is, until he had come across the unusual miko.

So unlike him, she was full of curved paths and stained with contrasting decisions. And more recently, her soul itself bore that battlefield of divergences.

Sesshomaru wandered back to his desk and scanned through the documents there. His eyes settled on one report stating that a ningen village in the Western lands was raided by rogue youkai. Usually, he would turn a blind eye to these things. After all, what did it matter to him if a ningen village suffered? However, he was looking for a reason to kill and this was a good opportunity. Yes, to settle the need to kill, he would allow his servants to feast on the rogue youkai roaming the Western lands. Never mind that they only bothered ningen villages.

He felt his beast stir agitatedly. He couldn't leave the castle until after the bloodlust had settled. They needed his youki to keep them from rampaging beyond the rogues. Kagome will have to wait.

Kagome was grazing in a meadow at the very edges of Bokuseno's forest. She likened this spot the most, because the daffodils were especially delicious here. But she was quite lonely. She wanted to find a herd to play with, but hardly any animals or other youkai dared to enter Bokuseno's forest. His youki was always present as if it was the air itself, spreading that uncomfortable peace around. In his forest, you always felt wary—your senses told you it was safe, but you still anticipated chaos—you still felt like something was about to kill you. However, her senses also told her that death was much more imminent out of Bokuseno's domain. So Kagome chose the lesser evil and remained with Bokuseno, but did her best to escape his unnerving calm at the same time.

But that was just the beast talking.

Kagome herself—her human self—very much just wanted to leave. Leave everything. Go back home to the future. This feeling lurked behind the beast's more dominating state of mind. It took a while to notice it, her human self that is. It was difficult to think humanly with her youki stomping on her reiki, but easier now that she realized she had both youki and reiki inside of her.

 _It's an odd feeling._ She finally concluded. _Like having multiple personalities or something. I feel like a part of both, but neither at the same time. Like there's demon me, me, and then miko me. And I can't exactly talk to them._

* * *

For the most part, Kagome watched as her deer-youkai spent the days in Bokuseno's forest. Sometimes, she tried to fight for control and become human again. But that was unlikely. More than her own youki, Bokuseno's youki kept her in demon form. His unsettling peace kept her soul in that same state of lurking violence.

Sound of voices caught her attention and her head snapped up to look.

"We're getting too close to the Demon Tree. We should change direction." Someone said.

"Don't worry about it. We're just walking near the edge of it. We're not going to it." Someone else said. "Besides, it's the demons at the edge of this place that we need to deal with. No one said anything about taking down the Demon Tree."

Curious, Kagome stalked nearer to the voices. Moving away from the open field and into the trees, she tracked down the source of the voices to a little road path just beyond Bokuseno's youki. It was a trio of a monk, a miko, and another woman.

Kagome's reiki stirred.

"Do you feel that? There's a second youki coming from the direction of the Demon Tree." The monk said.

The trio stopped and quickly turned their backs to each other, standing in a defensive triangle formation. Kagome held her breath and froze. For a tense moment, no one moved. Then suddenly, the miko strung her bow and arrow and aimed. She released her arrow just as a rat youkai burst out from a clump of huge bushes. The youkai disintegrated in mid-air.

Long after the pink light of the reiki-filled arrow disappeared, Kagome stared. Her reiki hummed and she could feel her youki retreating. The holy energy from the monk and miko was thrumming with a warm sense of familiarity. And though Bokuseno's youki was stronger than them, it was too far to be effective on her at this distance. Her youki wanted to back away, return to Bokuseno, but Kagome forced her legs to move forward.

The monk and miko aimed their weapons at her as she stepped out of the trees. They were more than ready to shoot, but an odd sight made them hesitate. Before them, a demon deer was changing before their eyes. As Kagome approached, she transformed back into her human body slowly. By the time she stood within three feet from them, she was back to normal.

"Oh." Kagome's eyes widened as her youki completely retreated to a low hum at the bottom of her soul and her reiki regained control. Days after being a deer-youkai and suddenly she was feeling like her regular self. "Hi."

The monk and miko's jaws almost dropped in shock. It was the human woman who returned her greeting first.

"Hello," she squeaked.

Another pause.

"What _are_ you?!" the monk demanded with wide eyes.

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it when she couldn't come up with a good answer. What was she? Sesshomaru had said she had youki within her. She could feel it. And after she had become aware of this fact, she had maintained more of her own consciousness during her time as a youkai. But here she was in her regular, human body with the familiar tingle of reiki at her fingertips. What was she? She didn't know.

"I'm not sure yet." Kagome finally answered. Her eyes were distant, not exactly looking at the trio before her. She was too busy thinking. Now that the…her…youki had retreated, she was more in control of her thoughts. The youkai within her didn't care to think about her situation, but now that she was in control…

The miko, on the other hand, did not like her answer. In response, her reiki rose, preparing for attack. But before she could release her arrow, she watched in surprise as an answering reiki rose within the girl before her. Kagome sighed in pleasure and closed her eyes to feel it better.

"You have reiki. Are you a miko?" the monk asked with calculating eyes.

"I…was. Before this happened. Whatever this is." Kagome said, her eyes still closed. Their reiki was so soothing, so familiar.

Finally, the monk and miko put down their weapons. They would not attack a fellow sister. Instead, they approached her gently took her hand, reaching out with their reiki. If she was truly a miko, then her soul would respond to their touch. The moment their hands touched, Kagome's eyes flew open as her reiki sang loudly. As they let go, her reiki swirled within her and settled down. She felt revived like she had slept restlessly through hundreds of nights and was kicked awake with a cup of coffee. For the first time in awhile, she felt like herself. Before Sesshomaru picked her up from the woods, before the wish, before…

Her mind was kicked into overdrive. Before the wish…she had felt…and then after? Did her weird soul situation have something to do with the Shikon Jewel? Now that her mind wasn't cluttered with baser thoughts, she could actually feel her thoughts soaring around her brain. But if this feeling of normalcy was last felt before the wish upon the Shikon Jewel, then this was a big clue to how her soul got to this state. Right? Kagome frowned in concentration. Something was off and she would not rest until she figured it out.

"Hey, you!" The monk shouted, snapping Kagome away from her thoughts. "We have to leave! The Demon Tree is angry!"

Kagome looked back towards Bokuseno. His youki was aggressively swinging tree branches at the trio.

Before she could even make a move, the monk had grabbed her wrist and was running away from the angry tree-youkai. Helplessly, Kagome followed. As they ran, she felt Bokuseno's youki shout at her. The wave of youki momentarily caused her eyes to glow blue like they had when she was a deer.

 _Curious._ Kagome thought.

* * *

The trio had taken Kagome back to their hometown, a rather large village a few miles from Bokuseno's forest. It was now dusk and they were all sitting comfortably in a rather nice house set near the middle of the village.

"Kagome-sama," Yuka, the miko, said in a breathless sigh. "You were the Shikon Miko who defeated Naraku. I didn't know you were so young!"

Kagome blushed. "Well, I wasn't alone."

"Still. To have such a powerful miko in our home, we are honored." Daisuke, the monk, nodded his head towards her. "But how did you end up near the Demon Tree's forest?"

The question about her weird reiki-youki soul was added silently in the pause that followed.

Kagome didn't want to tell them about her involvement with Sesshomaru. It was obvious that the trio were one of those anti-demon people, devoted to extinction of youkai everywhere. Though they accepted her status as the Shikon Miko, she doubted they would approve her relationship with the taiyoukai, especially with her youki "staining" her "holy" soul.

She shrugged away the question.

They let her get away with the lack of answer and took a moment to just enjoy their tea.

"So what happened to the Shikon Jewel? Do you have it with you?" Yuka asked.

"No, it disappeared after I made a wish on it." Kagome paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "I think…I think it's the Shikon Jewel's fault that I'm like this right now."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you know that the Shikon Jewel will only disappear with a pure wish? Maybe…my wish wasn't as pure as I had thought." Kagome's face twisted in bitterness. "I should've just wished for the jewel to disappear."

Yuka look at her critically. "Are you sure the Jewel disappeared?"

"Of course! I saw it vanish right before me!" Kagome said.

"It just…vanished?"

"Well…it separated into light…" Kagome frowned. She could tell Yuka's thoughts were leading somewhere, dropping bread crumbs for her.

"It doesn't make sense. The Shikon Jewel has never disappeared after a wish, pure intention or not."

"What are you talking about?"

"Kagome-sama, I don't know what led you to think the Shikon Jewel will disappear after a pure wish, but history has proved that this is not true." Daisuke spoke up. "There were mikos from before who had tried to wish the Shikon Jewel away from existence. You didn't think that the past Shikon Mikos were actually happy with the burden of protecting it, did you?"

"I…" Kagome blushed. The thought hadn't crossed her mind. "But if the Shikon Jewel never disappeared, then what made it disappear now?"

"In the past, whenever a miko tried to wish it away, it simply relocated. It is possible that the Shikon Jewel still exists." Yuka said thoughtfully.

Kagome groaned. Maybe she should have researched the Shikon Jewel's history more before making that stupid wish. She cursed her own stupidity. But…

 _If the Shikon Jewel still exists, then it's possible for me to go back home…_ Kagome thought.

"But it could be anywhere!" Kagome groaned, throwing her head back in frustration.

"Not exactly," Daisuke said. "The Shikon Jewel is both attractive and attracted. It's likely near a strong source…"

"A strong source? A strong source of what?" Kagome asked.

"Just a strong source. It could be emotions or a soul—anything it deems promising. No one really knows what the Jewel wants."

Kagome huffed. "Oh. Well. Where should I even start then?"

"It might help to start from where you made the wish." Yuka suggested.

Kagome's frown deepened.

"I suppose you're right." Kagome said. _Though I'm not happy with it._

* * *

Sesshomaru looked through the reports on the elimination of rogues. The extermination was going well and was doing well to settle the bloodlust of his people. That was when he saw the little leaf scroll. The material indicated that it was from Bokuseno.

He opened the scroll and scanned its contents. His eyes sharped and he let out a rippling growl as he shred the scroll. He wrapped his youki into a ball and shot out of his castle.

It was hardly challenging to find her. Kagome's soul sang out to him across the miles between them. It eventually led him towards Inuyasha's forest. Why would she be here? According to Bokuseno's scroll, she had been taken by ningens. Were they from Inuyasha's village then?

Sesshomaru landed on the outskirts of the village. With his youki extended out like this, he could easily feel Kagome's youki-reiki brush up against his. It didn't take her long to appear before him as if he had summoned her. But she was not alone.

"Sesshomaru! What are you doing here?!"

Sesshomaru glared at his brother. He had not missed that voice at all.

Behind Kagome was Inuyasha, his undead miko wench, and three other ningens. Sesshomaru glared harder as he focused on Kikyo.

 _No, not dead. Not anymore._ He corrected his own thoughts. The once dead miko was whole and healthy. Sesshomaru's eyes shot towards Kagome. As if reading his thoughts, Kagome grimaced.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome greeted. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here for you," he answered.

Kagome's companions all shot her a look of surprise and confrontation.

"Kagome? What's he want with you?" Inuyasha demanded.

"He took care of me all this time before I met Yuka, Daisuke, and Haine." As she said their names, she gestured towards the other three ningens.

Inuyasha looked back at Sesshomaru suspiciously. "There's no way the bastard did that for you. What do you want with Kagome?"

Sesshomaru remained silent.

"Stop it, Inuyasha." Kagome scolded.

Sesshomaru ran a critical eye over Kagome. She looked well. Better than ever, actually. She practically radiated health, but with a closer look, he could see that her health was not hers. Not exactly. He could almost taste the flowing reiki between Kagome and her new companions. They were feeding her their holy power and Kagome's reiki responded by dominating over her soul, pushing down her youki. Kagome's soul was almost divine like this—so far from the blood of youkai souls. And when he looked at her eyes, they were so blue—focused, determined, strong, steady. It made him wonder if he should have fed her reiki instead of youki.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome said, "I was told that the Shikon Jewel has not disappeared after I made my wish on it."

He blinked and he understood. She wanted to find the jewel again. He remembered that she needed it to go home to her future. But how curious. Why would the jewel grant her wish if it wasn't going to disappear anyways? His eyes wondered back to the once dead miko. Inuyasha saw this and moved protectively in front of Kikyo.

"Do you feel as if you have wasted your wish?" he asked.

Kagome startled in surprise and followed his gaze to Kikyo. Of course he would figure it out after just looking at her. For a moment, she allowed herself to observe Inuyasha's protective stand by Kikyo and the miko's returning protective hand on his shoulder. The weight of it bowed her head and she was left staring at the ground.

Inuyasha blinked and looked back and forth between Kagome and Sesshomaru in confusion. On the other hand, Kikyo's eyes widened as she finally figured out Kagome's wish. She supposed she should have noticed earlier, but she had been too happy to really think about it earlier.

"I thought we could try to find the Shikon Jewel around here, but I guess not." Kagome changed the subject. "We're going to go to the Demon Village next."

For a moment, Kagome wondered why she was even informing Sesshomaru about her plans. But then she looked at him and the question flew away.

"I still have unfinished business." Sesshomaru said.

Kagome nodded, waiting for Sesshomaru to fly away as fast as he had come. She understood how important his castle and Ren was to him. The fact that he even came here was…interesting.

But she didn't hear the whoosh of sifting air or feel the collection of youki. Instead, she felt his hand lifting her chin up so that she was looking up into his face. She was surprised and confused. He was neutral—everything about him was a void, unreadable. But his hand was gentle and his claws barely touching her skin. Despite the lack of youki coming from his being and the abundance of reiki coming from Yuka and Daisuke, her youki stirred, trying to balance with her reiki.

And then he was speeding away.

"What is your relationship with that beast?" Yuka asked with a deep frown.

"Like I said, he helped me before." She answered. Kagome could see the disapproval in her new friends' faces. "Let's go."

The group started to walk off without a word of goodbye to either Inuyasha or Kikyo. Inuyasha made a move to stop them, but Kikyo's gentle hand kept him back.

* * *

In the Western Castle, Sesshomaru prowled through the halls. The bloodlust had passed and he had successfully re-rounded all loyalties back to himself. For days now, however, his own power was not at the front of his mind. For days, his mind was working on the curiosity of Kagome's circumstances. There was something that was not quite fitting together in his mind though he believed all the pieces were there.

And more and more it seemed that that something was the Shikon Jewel. He realized that he could always go back to Bokuseno for answers. The tree seemed to know what was going on. But a part of him wanted to figure out the answer himself. Before, he had been so focused on poking at Kagome's new youki that he had not acknowledged her reiki. But after seeing the way her reiki interacted with others' reiki, he realized that her old reiki had undergone some change as well… When he first found her in the forest that day, she had believed herself soulless. And all his senses had told him that was untrue.

Sesshomaru halted in the middle of a particular junction where multiple hallways crossed paths. Servants scrambled out of the way just to avoid accidentally brushing against their lord.

 _I got distracted from the main puzzle._ He realized. _The discovery of her youki had distracted me and then the changes to her reiki. It appears that I forgot what attracted me to her in the first place—her soul. That loud roaring cry like a mountain asking to be found, not just seen._

Sesshomaru hurried outside and took off into the air in his beast form. The warriors looked up towards their great dog lord and the servants stopped to gawk. It was rare to see their lord unleash his youki in this way. The sight was terrifying. The air around him even more so, but in a different way. So silent was his youki that it felt like it could choke one to death—a poisonous silence. It was incredibly unnerving. One was too afraid to even make a sound in the presence of that silent youki.

For Sesshomaru, this was to be expected. His youki was never like any other youki. It didn't cackle like a fire storm or screech like the wind or shriek like lightning. It didn't rile others to battle or muddle them with dread. His youki was a silent dog. It stole breaths and life with its silence. And in this silent world, there was the hum of a mountain melody somewhere in the distance. The same melody that drew him to Kagome the first time. It would surely lead him to her again.

Her soul called to him. And this time, Sesshomaru was better prepared to answer it. The next time he left Kagome, Sesshomaru was going to have solved the puzzle surrounding her state. The puzzle had distracted him from his conquest long enough. Kagome had distracted him long enough.

It was time to end things.

* * *

 **As the title of chapter shows, this chapter was mostly figuring out Kagome's whole youki-reiki situation. Sesshomaru continues to maintain an outwardly appearance of a cold analyzer, but will he do so when he finds out the whole truth?**

 **And yes, I am tweaking Sesshomaru's youki/beast for my story. It's all part of the plan.**


End file.
